Coal prospectors urged to respect residents

The Queensland Government has urged coal companies to be considerate of property owners when searching for new deposits.

Residents near Stanwell, west of Rockhampton in central Queensland, are worried they could be forced out of their homes by coal exploration, under permits granted to a mining company.

The Member for Rockhampton, Robert Schwarten, says he can understand their concerns.

"I do sympathise with those people, but I guess what it highlights is the value of coal has increased and coal companies are out there making hay while the sun shines," he said.

"All I say is that they need to be respectful of people who live there, who have lived there for a long period of time and remember that they're intruding onto their property, basically through their lounge room."